Letting tourists pay for protecting President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago is the newest idea to defray the costs.

Commissioner Steven Abrams wants to explore using tax money collected from hotel guests to cover the overtime costs being racked up by law enforcement during Trump’s frequent visits to his Weekend White House in Palm Beach.

State law doesn’t allow Palm Beach County to use tourist hotel taxes, called bed taxes, to pay for public safety services, but Abrams is hoping legislators will amend the law.

“This will come out of the pockets of tourists,” he said. “We see an increase in bed tax when the president is in town because he brings the press corps. Those revenues could help offset the security costs.”

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With Mar-a-Lago closed for the summer, Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. is becoming the new presidential weekend escape.

With Mar-a-Lago closed for the summer, Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. is becoming the new presidential weekend escape.

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With Mar-a-Lago closed for the summer, Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. is becoming the new presidential weekend escape.

With Mar-a-Lago closed for the summer, Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. is becoming the new presidential weekend escape.

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CBS Miami's Kelli O'Hara reports from Washington D.C. on whether President Trump will pull out of the Global Climate Agreement

CBS Miami's Kelli O'Hara reports from Washington D.C. on whether President Trump will pull out of the Global Climate Agreement

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President Trump asked two top intelligence officials to help him push back against an FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government. (May 22, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

President Trump asked two top intelligence officials to help him push back against an FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government. (May 22, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Former NBC host Billy Bush has spoken publicly for the first time about the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women by the genitals. (May 22, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Former NBC host Billy Bush has spoken publicly for the first time about the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape in which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women by the genitals. (May 22, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office estimates it spends $60,000 a day in overtime assisting the Secret Service when Trump visiting, totaling more than $1.5 million in extra costs since Trump was elected in November.

County officials have been pushing for the federal government to reimburse them for those costs, but so far, they haven’t gotten assurances they will receive compensation.

Abrams said Trump is helping to generate tax revenue for the county because the press and staffers that accompany him on his trips stay in hotels, which is one of the reasons he wants to use those funds.

It's unknown how many staffers and reporters book hotel rooms when Trump visits, said Ashley Svarney, a spokeswoman for Discover the Palm Beaches, the county's tourism marketing organization.

In total, Palm Beach County has nearly 17,000 hotel rooms. A 6 percent tax is levied on hotel stays and short-term rentals, generating more than $30 million in revenue annually.

Tourist tax revenue has been spent on marketing, fixing eroded beaches and building a new spring training stadium in West Palm Beach.

Tourism has been on the rise, but it's unknown to what degree Trump has contributed, said Svarney.

Donald Trump has owned Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate built by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, since the 1980s. Trump turned it into a private club and is using it as his Weekend White House.

Discover the Palm Beaches does see a benefit to the increased media attention on Palm Beach County whenever Trump is at Mar-a-Lago.

“It further amplifies the Palm Beach brand,” Svarney said. “Our hope is it may pique the interest of a potential traveler who is seeing our beautiful beaches, turquoise water and our sunny skies.”

When first lady Melania Trump visited the Morikami Gardens with the Japanese prime minister’s wife, Google searches spiked for the botanical garden in Delray Beach, Svarney said. Discover the Palm Beaches has also noticed increased media attention from Chinese outlets following reports that Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, she said.

Florida law allows coastal counties with 225,000 or fewer residents to use up to 10 percent of tourist hotel taxes to “reimburse expenses incurred in providing public safety services." But Palm Beach County doesn’t qualify because it has nearly 1.4 million people.

Other county commissioners have offered suggestions on paying for Trump’s visits. Commissioner Dave Kerner has proposed levying a special fee on Mar-a-Lago, while County Mayor Paulette Burdick told CNN that the mounting costs could mean "cuts or increase in taxes.”

Early budget projections put the county’s budget deficit at about $40 million. Commissioners have other spending priorities they want to tackle, including boosting funds to combat heroin addiction and homelessness.

Trump himself took aim at President Barack Obama for his travels to Hawaii. He tweeted in 2011, “The habitual vacationer, @BarackObama, is now in Hawaii. This vacation is costing taxpayers $4 milion +++ while there is 20% unemployment.” At the time, the unemployment rate was not 20 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a briefing Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump has been working seven days a week even while at Mar-a-Lago.

"This is where he goes to see his family,” he said. “He brings people down there. This is part of being president.”